Raiders prepare to be without injured safety Tyvon Branch

OAKLAND -- The Raiders were resigned Monday to moving forward without strong safety Tyvon Branch, with Charles Woodson, Usama Young and Brandian Ross charged with picking up the slack after the loss of their highest-paid player.

Raiders coach Dennis Allen declined to confirm an ESPN report that Branch had a fractured right fibula, saying, "he's probably going to miss some time, how much that time is, I don't know."

Allen termed Branch's ankle injury "significant" after a 19-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the same term he used when left tackle Jared Veldheer suffered a torn triceps in training camp that required surgery.

Oakland Raiders medical staff attend to safety Tyvon Branch (33) after he injured his leg during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013 at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. (D. ROSS CAMERON)

"We're going to be missing a good player," Woodson said. "It's unfortunate it goes down like this, and it just means somebody is going to have to step up."

With the Raiders already having used the short-term injured reserve designation for Veldheer, Branch will be carried on the 53-man roster until he's healthy unless the team determines he needs to be placed on injured reserve for the season.

Branch, who signed a four-year, $26.5 million extension last year and is earning $9.5 million this season in a restructured deal, has been a favorite of three coaching staffs because of his work ethic as well as an explosive, physical style.

The Raiders did fine for three quarters without Branch against Jacksonville, with Young getting 1﻿1/2 sacks and Ross getting a sack.

Advertisement

While Ross is listed as the backup strong safety to Branch and Young the No. 2 free safety behind Woodson, Allen said he wasn't sure which player would start in the place of Branch and isn't really sure if it matters.

"If Ty's out for awhile, we've got guys we feel can step up and make plays, whether it's strong safety or free safety," Allen said. "I look at those as interchangeable positions, and they really need to be to have the flexibility to do different things defensively."

Young, having played in New Orleans when Allen was coaching its defensive backs, is used to moving around.

"I've played free, I've played strong, I've played nickel, I've played corner," Young said. "Here as a safety, you're a safety. We mix it up so much, with guys in the box or back in space, you never know where you're going to be."

Allen and Woodson said the Raiders believe they won't have to alter their game plan to account for the absence of Branch when they visit the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" in Week 3.

"I believe we have smart players and guys that can go in and know what's expected of them, what to do," Woodson said. "We won't have to alter our game plan at all. We look forward to going down there with our full arsenal of plays and just have to stick different guys in there to implement it, and we're comfortable with that."

Woodson has gotten plenty of feedback from his leaping tackle of Maurice Jones-Drew that prevented a potential Jacksonville touchdown. He saw it on film and liked what he saw.

"It's pretty impressive," Woodson said. "It was one of those sellout plays that you need during the course of a game that hopefully can turn the tide and give you some momentum."

Guard Lucas Nix is getting an MRI on his injured ankle, and his status for Denver is not known. Andre Gurode played in place of Nix, who was struggling in part because of the injury.

"He did well," Allen said of Gurode. "A couple of things need to be cleaned up, but overall I was pleased with what he did when he got in there."

Allen said place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski, whose miss from 35 yards snapped a streak of 50 straight field goals from 40 yards and in, is still working on gaining confidence with Marquette King as the holder. Shane Lechler was Janikowski's holder from 2000 through 2012.